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Thermalization and isotropization in heavy-ion collisions

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Abstract

Our current understanding of the processes driving the thermalization and isotropization of the quark gluon plasma (QGP) created in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions (URHICs) is reviewed. Initially, the phenomenological evidence in favour of the creation of a thermal but momentum–space anisotropic QGP in URHICs is discussed. Further, the degree of isotropization using viscous (dissipative) hydrodynamics, weak-coupling approaches to QGP dynamics, and strong-coupling approaches to QGP dynamics are discussed. Finally, recent progress in the area of real-time non-Abelian gauge field simulations and non-Abelian Boltzmann–Vlasov-based hard-loop simulations are reported.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by DOE Grant No. DE-SC0004104.

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  1. Physics Department, Kent State University, Kent, OH, 44242, USA

    MICHAEL STRICKLAND

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STRICKLAND, M. Thermalization and isotropization in heavy-ion collisions. Pramana - J Phys 84, 671–684 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12043-015-0972-1

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